Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Belgrade wants territorial compensation for losing Yugoslavia (media)
• Bislimi travels to Brussels for meeting of chief negotiators (media)
• Kurti meets Police Deputy General Director and Special Intervention Unit (media)
• Hoxhaj on draft statute: Kurti does not dare publish what he agreed to (media)
• Kosovo seeks assistance from the region to investigate Banjska attack (RFE)
• Osmani meets President of Portugal (media)
• Selimi: Exactly five months since EU put sanctions on Kosovo (media)
• Montenegro Deputy Prime Minister on extradition of war crimes suspect (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Technical dialogue between Belgrade, Pristina to continue in Brussels Thursday (Tanjug)
• The Belgrade delegation led by Petkovic to meet Lajcak at  9.30 am (Kosovo Online)
• French Embassy: „We will consider the technical possibilities“ of returning all the monuments to where they were (KoSSev)
• Jablanovic: From political persecution to posing with Vucic (KoSSev)
• Arrested attacker on G.M. from Caglavica (medijacentar.info, KiM radio)
• Pristina asking for the help of countries in the region regarding the investigation of the Banjska case (KoSSev, RFE)
• Serbia elected to the Executive Council of UNESCO, for the third time in a row (Kosovo Online)

International Media:

• North Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Kosovo* take step towards day-ahead market coupling (balkangreenenergynews.com)
• Serbia Signs Natural Gas Deal With Azerbaijan (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Belgrade wants territorial compensation for losing Yugoslavia (media)

Most news websites covered on Wednesday an interview that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti had with Der Standard, highlighting his remarks that the West is continuing the policy of appeasing Serbia, and that Belgrade wants territorial compensation for losing Yugoslavia.

Commenting on elections in the north, Kurti said he doesn’t want Albanian mayors in the north, because they have little political legitimacy due to the low turnout of voters.

“I was in the north several times and I met with the Serbs, but these meetings are not made public because that is what they ask of me. Their families are under pressure. A Serb that I appointed as an advisor resigned two hours later because his wife lost half of the wage. Only this year, 15 vehicles with Kosovo plates were burned [in the north],” Kurti said.

Asked about the last meeting in Brussels, Kurti said he wanted to sign the framework agreement with Serbia and the proposal for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, but according to him, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic wanted Serbia and Kosovo to sign separately with the European Union.

Read full interview at: https://tinyurl.com/bdhhyhbm

Bislimi travels to Brussels for meeting of chief negotiators (media)

Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, traveled to Brussels on Wednesday, all news websites reported on Wednesday. A government press release said Bislimi is scheduled to take part “in meetings of the dialogue process that will discuss the implementation of the February 27 Basic Agreement, the March 18 Implementation Annex and the new plan to move forward from October 21”. 

Kurti meets Police Deputy General Director and Special Intervention Unit (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Wednesday with Kosovo Police Deputy Director General Fehmi Hoti and representatives and members of the Kosovo Police Special Intervention Unit. A press release issued by Kurti’s office notes that he listened to all the demands and issues raised by members of the Kosovo Police and thanked them for their contribution to professional work and in the service of law and order. Kurti informed them that the categorization and value of risk additions for members of the Kosovo Police was done with special and increased care, taking into consideration all factors around their work and responsibilities, but at the same time also considering the existing limitations. “The Government of the Republic of Kosovo is committed to improving the working conditions and equipment for the Kosovo Police and by facilitating their work to directly impact reducing the risk during the execution of their tasks and responsibilities. This commitment is reflected in the draft budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 2024, which foresees an increase in capital investments for the Kosovo Police,” the press release notes.

Several news websites, citing unnamed sources, reported that no agreement was reached between Kurti and the Special Intervention Unit in the meeting.

Hoxhaj on draft statute: Kurti does not dare publish what he agreed to (media)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and former Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Prime Minister Albin Kurti was secretly negotiating the statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “The Kurti government does not dare publish what it has agreed to, but the EU should do this, because the Europeans knows that the government’s secret not only damages the society’s trust in the institutions, but it also creates the conviction of a conspiracy against the future of Kosovo,” Hoxhaj argued.

Kosovo seeks assistance from the region to investigate Banjska attack (RFE)

The prosecution in Bosnia and Herzegovina said it has received a request from Kosovo’s institutions to investigate the origin of weapons confiscated in Banjska after the September 24 attack by a group of armed Serbs against the Kosovo Police. The prosecution in Bosnia told the news website that “information shows that this does not involve weapons from the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. “Maybe this involves weapons manufactured later, and not originating in Bosnia. But through the institute for international cooperation, all necessary activities will be undertaken to accurately determine all the details,” the prosecution said. 

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo confirmed to Radio Free Europe that it has asked for cooperation from several countries in the region in investigations into the Banjska attack. The prosecution said that intensive investigations are underway into the September 24 attack.

Citing sources in the police, RFE reports that so far 38 persons have been identified as members of the armed group in Banjska. 31 of them are wanted. A police officer told the news website that “evidence found at the site is being investigated”.

Osmani meets President of Portugal (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met on Wednesday with the President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa during her stay in Portugal. “This is an important and historic moment to express gratitude to the state and people of Portugal for the contribution made over the years. This support has greatly influenced the advancement of our primary goals in the path of Euro-Atlantic integrations, the strengthening of regional peace and stability,” Osmani said.

Osmani also thanked Portugal for its support in the visa liberalization process and for the membership in the Council of Europe and expressed hope that Portugal will also support the provision of EU candidate country status to Kosovo. 

Selimi: Exactly five months since EU put sanctions on Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi, said in a post on X on Wednesday that "it’s been exactly 5 months now since the EU has put sanctions on Kosovo. Hundreds of millions of Euros for Kosovo have been blocked. The fact these sanctions are still in place for Kosovo but not Serbia, says a lot about both the level of trust towards Kosovo & lack of consensus on Serbia.”

Montenegro Deputy Prime Minister on extradition of war crimes suspect (media)

Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister Nik Gjeloshaj said on Wednesday that the decision not to extradite a war crime suspect to Kosovo was made before he came to office and that it was a result of the Justice Minister, who according to him, has a pro-Serbian orientation.

“I have asked to be informed about the matter and I believe the process will be reviewed soon and a decision will be made, because there is no interest in sheltering someone suspected of war crimes, knowing that Montenegro is a member state of NATO,” Gjeloshaj said in an interview with RTK.

Serbian Language Media 

Technical dialogue between Belgrade, Pristina to continue in Brussels Thursday (Tanjug)

A new round of EU-facilitated technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will be held in Brussels on Thursday.

Belgrade's delegation will be headed by chief negotiator Petar Petkovic, with Pristina to be represented by Besnik Beslimi.

On Tuesday, Petkovic said an invitation by the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak to resume the dialogue on Thursday had been accepted by Belgrade and that the text of a statute of a Community of Serbian Municipalities would be on the agenda.

"Our side is very well prepared and we will go there with a special team of experts. We will be discussing the text of the statute of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, which is the first concrete step towards establishing the Community of Serbian Municipalities," Petkovic said, adding that discussions about the statute needed to provide answers as to the way in which many important issues relating to the Community would be resolved.

The parties last met in Brussels on October 26, when EU representatives held separate meetings with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Pristina's PM Albin Kurti.

The Belgrade delegation led by Petkovic to meet Lajcak at 9.30 am (Kosovo Online)

The Belgrade delegation led by the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, arrived last night in Brussels, where meetings are planned today as part of the new round of dialogue between the main negotiators with Pristina under the mediation of the EU, reported Kosovo Online.

As Kosovo Online learned, Petkovic's delegation includes a team of 18 experts, which is the largest number of experts participating in the meetings in Brussels so far.

Kosovo Online portal correspondent stated that it is about people prepared for discussions on all the planned topics, i.e., topics such as the statute of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, energy, the missing and others.

According to Kosovo Online information, the beginning of the talks between Petkovic and the Belgrade expert delegation with Miroslav Lajcak is planned today at 9:30 a.m.

French Embassy: “We will consider the technical possibilities” of returning all the monuments to where they were (KoSSev)

Together with all the parties, we will consider the technical possibilities so that all the monuments in the military part of the cemetery are returned to where were they before, the French embassy in Pristina announced tonight, following an avalanche of criticism and condemnation from the Serbian public after the relocation of the monument to the fallen Serbian soldiers 1912-1918 in Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Pristina.

In addition to „considering“ the return of the displaced monument to Serbian soldiers to its original place, the embassy also added that this „consideration“ will also include the place where the new monument to French KFOR soldiers would be installed.

The monument in question has been erected in essentially the same location where the monument to Serbian soldiers was located before it was moved, which was done at two embassies initiative.

„In the current circumstances and in the face of the emotions caused, the embassy will consider, together with all parties, the technical possibilities so that all the monuments in the military part of the cemetery are returned to where they were previously, and this includes a new memorial plaque in memory of the French soldiers who lost their lives during their service in KFOR,“ they said in a statement.

They also announced that they regret the „controversy“ regarding the „re-organization of the monument.“

„The French Embassy calls for respect of the memory of all fallen soldiers at the front during World War I, as shown by the ceremony organized together with the German Embassy, as a sign of Franco-German reconciliation,“ the statement concludes.

The monument to Serbian soldiers caught the media and public’s attention last weekend, when a photograph taken at this year’s Armistice Day commemoration, unlike previous years, revealed that the monument was no longer in the same place.

Meanwhile, information emerged that it had been moved aside, the news was first confirmed by the Diocese of Raska-Prizren, which expressed concern but also suspicion that this was a case of rewriting history.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/mvu9vth7

Jablanovic: From political persecution to posing with Vucic (KoSSev)

The President of the Party of Kosovo Serbs, Aleksandar Jablanović, met with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.

Jablanović himself shared news about the meeting and „friendly talk.“

According to him, their position and common interest are related to the ongoing fight for the Serbs and survival in Kosovo „at the time of the greatest terror and persecution by the Government of Kosovo“:

„Unlike the opposition in Serbia, whose views are close to those of Albin Kurti,“ he added.

In previous years, the president of Serbia, was never photographed, at least publicly, with political representatives of Kosovo Serbs, unless they were members of Srpska Lista.

Jablanović was part of SL in 2013, as the head of the party and one of its founders. For a short time, he served as the Minister for Communities and Return in the Kosovo government as a member of the party.

Two years later, the Government of Serbia decided to remove him from the position of head of the SL.

Jablanović, with his Party of Kosovo Serbs, then became the opposition to Srpska Lista, as well as its fiercest critic in the 10-year-long conflict.

The first incidents between Jablanović’s former party and the one he later founded soon emerged.

At the time, SL accused its former president of pointing a firearm at activists of this party in Leposavic.

According to information available at the time, a few days earlier, unknown perpetrators reportedly shot at the premises of Mayor Leposavic and the Party of Kosovo Serbs.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/sk3bmp8j

Arrested attacker on G.M. from Caglavica (medijacentar.info, KiM radio)

The police arrested a suspect for the attack on a Serb from Caglavica G.M., the Media Center Caglavica reported.

Only after the publication of the news that the Police refused to answer this media's questions about the attacker on G.M., the service sent an answer. 

"Regarding the case, we inform you that it is a matter of "light physical injury", the investigative department has identified and arrested the suspect. Investigators in coordination with the prosecutor's office undertake the necessary investigative actions", the response of the Kosovo Police in the Albanian language states.

G.M. from Caglavica was attacked while he was doing agricultural work in his field, and a younger Albanian pounced on him and inflicted bodily injuries on him.

KiM radio recalled that an Albanian with a herd of over 100 sheep was crossing the field of G.M.

When G. M. asked him not to do that and not to destroy his crops, the Albanian hit him several times with a stick, telling him "Fol shqip" (speak Albanian) and "Go to Serbia".

G.M. reported the case to the police in Gracanica and was examined by a doctor, where he was diagnosed with injuries in the area of the lower extremities.

Pristina asking for the help of countries in the region regarding the investigation of the Banjska case (KoSSev, RFE)

The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina received a submission from the Kosovo institutions regarding the investigation of the origin of the weapons seized in Banjska, reported KoSSev, citing Radio free Europe. 

The Kosovo police seized a large number of weapons and determined that they were produced in factories in Serbia and other countries of the former Yugoslavia.

In a written response to RFE, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina states that "preliminary available information indicates that it is not about weapons left over from the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

"The data available so far indicate that it is probably a weapon of recent production, which is not of BiH origin, but through the Institute of International Cooperation, the necessary activities will be carried out in order to establish all the details with certainty," the answer reads, among other things.

The Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo confirmed to RFE that they have requested the cooperation of several countries in the region regarding the investigation of the attack in Banjska.

The government of Kosovo accused Serbia of being behind this attack, which official Belgrade denied.

Milan Radoicic, the former vice-president of the Serbian List - the largest party of Kosovo Serbs that has the support of Belgrade - took responsibility for the attack in Banjska, claiming that he did not inform anyone about his plans.

Serbia is conducting a separate investigation into the attack in Banjska. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade announced in October that Milan Radoicic is accused of procuring weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices of great destructive power from Tuzla, in the northeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from January 2023 to September 24.

However, at the beginning of November, the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina told RFE that no investigation had been initiated regarding these claims by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade.

"At the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have not received any report from police agencies about the possibly committed criminal act and the perpetrators. We did not receive any information from the institutions of neighboring countries, so there was no order to investigate," said Boris Grubesic, spokesperson for the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

The Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo told RFE that it is conducting an intensive investigation into the attack in Banjska. 

According to RFE sources in the Kosovo police, 38 people who were part of the armed group that attacked the police in Banjska have been identified so far, but the arrest of 31 people is wanted.

The same sources state that the persons who are in custody in Kosovo and who were arrested during the attack in Banjska are being interrogated.

A police official told RFE that "the evidence found at the scene is being investigated."

The State Prosecutor's Office of North Macedonia told RFE that so far they have not received any request from Kosovo for help with the investigation.

"We do not rule out the possibility that such assistance was requested through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Justice, but the prosecution still has nothing of it. The help we can offer is for specific persons if something like that is needed," said the Prosecutor's Office in Skopje.

RFE sent an inquiry to the institutions of Montenegro regarding the investigation, but no response was received, cited KoSSev portal.

Serbia elected to the Executive Council of UNESCO, for the third time in a row (Kosovo Online)

Serbia was elected as a member of the UNESCO Executive Council, third time in a row, reported Kosovo Online. 

As announced on the UNESCO website yesterday, Serbia received the most votes in its Eastern European group - 137, reported the portal.

Serbia's candidacy was announced a few days ago by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, in a speech at the General Assembly of this organization of the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture.

The Ambassador of Serbia to UNESCO, Tamara Rastovac Siamasvili, who chaired the Executive Council of UNESCO for the last two years, assessed before the vote that Serbia has a great chance of being re-elected to that body and that the candidacy submitted by the official Belgrade again for membership in the Executive Council UNESCO was well received by the member countries.

"What stands out from our side in conversations with colleagues and representatives of UNESCO member states is that Serbia is the balancing factor in UNESCO, including the Executive Council. So, we are a country that absolutely insists on dialogue, on seeking compromise, consensus, and multilateralism. This is something that is also a feature of our foreign policy, and it is also manifested in our performance here at UNESCO. This is something that I also insisted on as the chairman of the Executive Council," Siamashvili told Kosovo Online.

Former Serbian diplomats pointed out before the vote that Serbia's re-election to the UNESCO Executive Council would be a confirmation of the constructive role that Serbia plays in this international organization, which would enable official Belgrade to be active in this body daily.

Re-membership would contribute to being able to react urgently in any situation, and when, eventually, Pristina reactivates the request for membership, which is currently in the process of being "dormant."

New members of the UNESCO Executive Council from the same electoral group are Albania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

International Media

North Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Kosovo* take step towards day-ahead market coupling (balkangreenenergynews.com)

North Macedonia, Greece, Albania, and Kosovo* have signed a memorandum of understanding on coupling their day-ahead electricity markets, as part of a process that involves all Balkan countries, according to a statement from MEPSO, North Macedonia’s transmission system operator.

A merger into a single electricity market will introduce a new era of energy cooperation, bringing significant advantages for North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo* and Greece in terms of improving energy security, integrating new energy sources, and ensuring lower electricity prices for consumers, according to the statement.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/mty8f2pa

Serbia Signs Natural Gas Deal With Azerbaijan (Balkan Insight)

Serbia hails gas deal that will help the country achieve its 'strategic goal of diversifying supplies and strengthen its position as a transit country for gas supplies to Central Europe'.

Serbia and Azerbaijan signed an agreement in Baku on Wednesday under which some 400 million cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan should be delivered per year to Serbia from 2024 onwards.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/eujbfra7